Building Violins for Mice: A Cautionary Tale

On a call yesterday, I heard the phrase "building violins for mice", and that metaphor perfectly encapsulates a trap that some organizations fall into with their digital transformation programs.

Let's unpack this just enough to ensure we're all on the same page:

• Mice don't need violins

• Even if they did, they could't play them

• The cost to design and produce something would far exceed any value returned

That level of absurdity might sound familiar when it comes to how organizations pursue their digital transformation programs.

Here are some real world examples:

• Plugging AI in the middle of interactions where customers place high value on talking to an organization's employees

• Creating an elaborate, multi-step approval workflow for immaterial corporate expenses

• Using an enterprise grade integration platform to facilitate the movement of data with low volumes and low risk

How do we avoid building violins for mice?

1. Validate the actual need by confirming whether the problem identified actually exists and is in fact the root cause of pain for stakeholders

2. Estimate or calculate the value to understand the magnitude of the problem and ensure that solutions are within the same ballpark range

3. Find the simplest solution in terms of complexity and cost, which may entirely solve or just reduce the impact of the problem

It's critical to spend more time framing problems and know the value of projects before diving into designing and developing solutions.

TLDR: Avoid building solutions for non-existent or low value problems. Validate stakeholder needs, estimate value, and pursue the simplest viable solution.